“I remember towards the end of the first day of practice my freshman year I started thinking to myself, ‘Does he ever stop?’ ” said Tech sophomore receiver Eddie Royal.

It is part of what makes J-Dub, as his Virginia Tech teammates call Williams, such an effective corner. At 6-foot-3, 216 pounds, Williams, whose Hokies play at North Carolina State tonight (7:15, ESPN2), is huge by cornerback standards. And he runs a 4.36-second 40 so receivers that get off the line can’t away from the mouth that runs.

“Craziest thing I ever said?” Williams said repeating a question. “I told [Maryland coach] Ralph Friedgen if he kept throwing to my side I was going to take one to the house. He didn’t listen.”

With 23 seconds left in the third quarter of last year’s 55-6 wipeout of the Terrapins at Lane Stadium, J-Dub stepped in front of a Joel Statham pass and returned it 34 yards to cap the Tech win.

His mother, a sweet woman with a lovely personality in her own right, started referring to Jimmy as the Energizer Bunny when her son was a toddler.

The family would go for walks along the Hampton Bay waterfront. Jimmy would run ahead at a frantic pace.

“He just kept going and going,” said Beth.

All the way to Virginia Tech, where he found a perfect home.

Former Tech corner Eric Green, a third round pick of the Cardinals in this year’s NFL Draft, learned the talk trade from former Tech defensive back DeAngelo Hall. One could say that Williams is merely the latest in a line of athletic and, uh, articulate Tech cornerbacks. But the gift of gab came early to J-Dub.

“When he was in first and second grade, his teachers were always sending home notes with his report cards,” said Beth. “His grades were always very good but the teachers always wrote, ‘Too talkative.’ ”

Williams said there’s a method to the talking and there are lines of sportsmanship he does not cross.

“You want to make a receiver as uncomfortable as possible,” said Williams. “If he’s thinking about what I’m saying, or if starts coming back at me, I know I got him.”

Williams got his man with the doggedness of a Mountie. He led the Atlantic Coast Conference in passes defended last season with 19 (five interceptions and 14 breakups).

His mother looks back on the notes from Jimmy’s teachers and laughs. It turns out that Jimmy isn’t the outgoing one in the family.

“He’s actually a little reserved,” said Beth.

Reserved?

“Compared to his brother Andrew,” said Beth. “He has a very outgoing personality.”